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1908 1536 Wynkoop Takes Shape
The six-story, 36,000-square-foot brick building was erected in 1908 as a warehouse for the Kennicott-Patterson Transfer and Storage Company.
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1920s A Warehouse for Denver
Merchant Transfer and Storage Company used the building as a warehouse for dry goods arriving or departing by train at Union Station.
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1930s-1950s Gate Rubber Company and Morey Merchantile
The building was owned by Gates Rubber Company as a warehouse. For a time, it leased space to Morey Mercantile (bulging at the seams next door). The Mercantile was the largest grocery business in the west in terms of sales, territory and number of employees under the brand name Solitaire.
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1960s-1983 A Time of Transition
Following World War II, the lower downtown area went through a slow, steady decline. The number of passenger trains passing through dropped from 80 to two per day. The building sat vacant temporarily before being remodeled into office space.
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1983 A Near Reinvention
BNC Engineers bought the aging structure at 1536 Wynkoop Street and began a major renovation to turn the building into office space. This renovation brought about the addition of the elevator and patio area. However, after a national recession hit Denver in 1982, the engineering firm abandoned the building, except for one small tenant – an alternative energy company named Infinite Energy.
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1990 A Colorado Institution Moves In
The building was purchased by Joyce Meskis, the owner of the Tattered Cover Bookstore, a Denver institution. From this warehouse location and the building next door, the Tattered Cover shipped, received, and warehoused their stock of books. The building was also home to the first official offices of the Wynkoop Brewing Company, owned by John Hickenlooper. -
1997 The Colorado Environmental Coalition Is Born
In 1997 John Powers (Colorado Environmental Coalition board member) worked with John Hickenlooper, to allow the Colorado Environmental Coalition (now Conservation Colorado, The Alliance Center’s first tenant) to move into the historic warehouse in Lower Downtown Denver. During the next seven years, Powers negotiated for eight more nonprofit organizations to move in. -
2004 The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado is Established
In 2004 John Powers, a longtime board member of the Colorado Environmental Coalition, and Janna Six co-founded the nonprofit Alliance for Sustainable Colorado (now The Alliance Center) and purchased the building from Tattered Cover. The vision was to create a physical hub where local public-interest groups could pool resources on projects. It would provide an incubator for collaboration offering traditionally tight-budgeted nonprofits an opportunity to share ideas with like-minded advocacy groups, as well as reduce expenses. -
2004 Amendment 37 – The Colorado Renewable Energy Requirement Initiative
Within the first few months of opening in 2004, The Alliance Center provided office and meeting space for the successful statewide citizens’ ballot initiative which was the first voter-approved renewable energy portfolio standard in the US for 10 percent of electricity from investor owned utilities be generated from renewable energy by 2020.
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2005 The Better Building Coalition is Formed
Staff and partners created the Better Building Coalition to press the Colorado legislature to set high performance standards for publicly owned buildings.
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2005 Colorado Office of Energy Management and Conservation: Energy Champion Award
Received Energy Champion Award from Colorado Governor Owens’ Office of Energy Management and Conservation for our performance and efforts.
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2006 LEED Existing Buildings – Gold
For the first year of the Alliance’s ownership, the building underwent significant construction to convert the warehouse into office spaces, making liberal use of eco-friendly green building construction with high-tech concepts. The Alliance became the second building in the world to earn two US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications — Existing Buildings Gold and Commercial Interiors Silver, while also earning U.S. EPA Energy Star Leader status.
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2006 USGBC’s National Leadership Award for Education by an Organization
The leadership awards celebrate the individuals and groups at the forefront of sustainability in the built environment. We received this for our on-site educational signage and tours covering key sustainability issues and green building solutions.
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2007 Senate Bill 07-051 Requirement for Increased Resource Efficiency for State-Assisted Buildings
Championed by The Alliance Center and its partners, this legislation had the State Architect adopted LEED Gold certification as the required standard for new construction and renovations of more than 5,000 square feet receiving over 25 percent of funding from the state.
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2007 House Bill 07-1146 Requirement That Certain Local Governments Adopt an Energy Efficiency Code in Connection with the Construction of Certain Buildings
Another successful piece of legislation championed by The Alliance Center and partners to promote a more sustainable city. -
2007 City of Denver Mayor’s Design Award: It Ain’t Easy Being Green
These awards honor projects throughout the city for excellence in architecture, exterior design and place-making. The Alliance Center received it for our efforts using and promoting green building practices.
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2008 The Big Tent
Envisioned by John Powers and organization staff, Michael Huttner (founder of ProgressNow), and Markos Moulitsas (founder of Daily Kos) and located in The Alliance Center’s parking lot, the Big Tent was a nonprofit, nonpartisan event that provided dedicated space for new media journalists and bloggers during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Big Tent included the use of both The Alliance Center—one of Colorado’s greenest buildings—as well as an 8,000-square-foot, two-story temporary structure that housed a state-of-the-art blogging/new media lounge, the Google retreat, and the Digg Stage (the main stage on the first floor). The Big Tent hosted a diverse range of participants from local tweeters to national media figures such as Rachael Maddow and Dan Rather.
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2008 Environmental Leadership Program Gold Leader
Awarded by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment to companies that voluntarily go beyond regulatory compliance to reduce their impact on the environment. The Alliance Center has maintained our Gold Leader status (the highest designation) since 2008.
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2008 Wirth Chair Pioneer of the New Energy Economy Award
Founder and Board Chair John Powers received the The Wirth Chair Pioneer of the New Energy Economy Award
